Automatic bank note transaction apparatus

Abstract

An automatic bank note transaction apparatus comprises a bank note receiving section disposed opposite to a cash inlet/outlet slot inside a housing to receive bank notes collectively put in the housing through the cash inlet/outlet slot. A conveyance path successively introduces and conveys the bank notes received in the bank note receiving section one by one to a discriminator which detects the denomination of the bank notes introduced and conveyed by the conveyance path. Distributing gates sort the bank notes by denomination according to the result of the discrimination by the discriminator into temporary collecting sections. The notes may then be transferred to safe sections provided for the several denominations. Apparatus is provided for retrieving notes from the safe sections for withdrawal by a user. Thus, the deposited notes which are transferred to the safe sections are added to notes which may be used for withdrawal.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An automatic bank note transaction apparatus which comprises: a housing having a cash inlet and a cash outlet;   a bank note receiving section disposed opposite to said cash inlet inside said housing to receive bank notes collectively put in said housing through said cash inlet;   first conveyance means for successively introducing and conveying the bank notes received in said bank note receiving section one by one;   discriminating means for discriminating the denomination of the bank notes introduced and conveyed by said first conveyance means;   first distributing means for sorting the bank notes by denomination according to the result of the discrimination by said discriminating means;   a plurality of first temporary collecting sections for separately depositing several denominations of notes, whereby the bank notes sorted out by said first distributing means are temporarily collected according to their respective denominations;   a plurality of safe sections each having a storage chamber for storing notes of one of said several denominations so that the stored bank notes may be taken out one by one;   second conveyance means for successively introducing and conveying the bank notes received in said storage chamber in said safe sections one by one to said discriminating means;   said discriminating means discriminating fit notes from unfit notes among the bank notes for withdrawal taken out from said safe sections by said second conveyance means;   second distributing means for sorting the bank notes for withdrawal conveyed by the second conveyance means according to the result of the discrimination by said discriminating means;   a second temporary collecting section for fit notes for withdrawal, whereby the fit notes among the bank notes for withdrawal sorted out by said second distributing means are collected temporarily;   third conveyance means for conveying the bank notes for withdrawal collected in said second temporary collecting section for withdrawal to said cash outlet; and   transfer means for transferring the deposited bank notes collected for depositing in said first temporary collecting sections to said bank note storage chambers of said safe sections in which bank notes for withdrawal of the same denominations as those of said deposited bank notes are stored separately, whereby said deposited bank notes are used as bank notes for withdrawal.   
     
     
       2. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: said second temporary collecting section also collects unfit notes for withdrawal, whereby unfit notes among the bank notes for withdrawal sorted out by said second distributing means are collected; and   said transfer means transfers the bank notes collected separately in said first temporary collecting sections and said second temporary collecting section to said bank note storage chambers of said safe sections in which bank notes for withdrawal of the same denominations as those of said collected bank notes are stored, whereby both bank notes which have been deposited and the unfit bank notes are used as bank notes for withdrawal.   
     
     
       3. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first distributing means sorts fit notes among the deposited bank notes by denomination, and said first temporary collecting sections include third temporary collecting sections for deposited fit notes and a fourth temporary collecting section for deposited unfit notes. 
     
     
       4. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said third conveyance means comprises return means for returning the deposited unfit notes collected in said fourth temporary collecting section for deposited unfit notes to said bank note receiving section, and said receiving section comprises means for causing the deposited unfit notes returned to said bank note receiving section to be conveyed again by said first conveyance means and to be discriminated again by said discriminating means. 
     
     
       5. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 4, which further comprises line-up means disposed in said fourth temporary collecting section for deposited unfit notes to arrange deposited unfit notes collected therein. 
     
     
       6. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said third conveyance means also returns the deposited fit notes collected in said third temporary collecting sections for deposited fit notes to said cash outlet at a user's request. 
     
     
       7. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said housing has a common opening which serves as both the cash inlet and the cash outlet. 
     
     
       8. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said discriminating means further discriminates reusable notes from non-reusable notes among the fit bank notes. 
     
     
       9. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said first distributing means sorts fit and reusable notes among the deposited bank notes by denomination, and said first temporary collecting sections for depositing include temporary collecting sections for reusable notes, a temporary collecting section for non-reusable notes, and a temporary collecting section for deposited unfit notes. 
     
     
       10. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 9, which further comprises a second safe section for exclusively storing the non-reusable notes collected temporarily in said temporary collecting section for non-reusable notes. 
     
     
       11. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second temporary collecting section for fit notes for withdrawal and said fourth temporary collecting section for deposited unfit notes are formed of one and the same temporary collecting section. 
     
     
       12. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said second temporary collecting section for fit notes for withdrawal and said temporary collecting section for deposited unfit notes are formed of one and the same temporary collecting section. 
     
     
       13. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said first distributing means sorts fit and reusable notes among the deposited bank notes by denomination, and said first temporary collecting sections for depositing include temporary collecting sections for temporarily collecting the reusable notes. 
     
     
       14. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 13, which further comprises a first collecting box for collecting non-reusable notes, and a second collecting box for collecting unfit notes among the bank notes for withdrawal sorted out by said second distributing means. 
     
     
       15. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said first and second collecting boxes are formed of a common box. 
     
     
       16. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises line-up means disposed in each said first and second temporary collecting sections to arrange bank notes collected temporarily therein. 
     
     
       17. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said housing is provided with a front door and a back door so that said safe sections may be removed from said housing through said front or back door. 
     
     
       18. The automatic bank note transaction apparatus according to any one of claim 1, 2, 3-5, 8-16 or 17, wherein each said safe section is provided with a backup member supporting the back side of bank notes for withdrawal, and said transfer means is provided with a backup member supporting the back side of bank notes for withdrawal, and said transfer means is provided with a plurality of transfer devices, one disposed opposite to each of said safe sections, respectively, each said transfer device comprising: a bank note holder disposed opposite to an outlet of each corresponding safe section to be able to move without interfering with said backup member, whereby deposited bank notes delivered thereto are once held and then transferred toward a back side of the bank notes for withdrawal previously stored in each corresponding bank note storage chamber;   a detector for detecting the pressure on the bank notes for withdrawal in said bank note storage chamber;   backup member driving means for removing said backup member from said bank note storage chamber and moving said backup member to a back side of said bank note holder when said detector detects that the bank notes for withdrawal are pressed by said bank note holder at a given pressure, causing the deposited bank notes held by said bank note holder to be pressed from behind; and   bank note holder moving means for removing said bank note holder from said bank note storage chamber when the bank notes for withdrawal are pressed by said backup member and moving said bank note holder to a position facing the outlet of said safe section, whereby the deposited bank notes are transferred to said bank note storage chamber as bank notes for withdrawal.